Motion tracking for medical imaging: a nonvisible structured light tracking approach.

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Accurate head motion tracking is crucial for high-resolution 3D brain imaging.
• Existing systems often require markers, complicating workflows and introducing potential errors.
• The limited field of view in some medical scanners necessitates specialized tracking solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel, markerless head motion tracking system for 3D brain imaging.
• To assess the system's accuracy and feasibility in a clinical setting.
• To compare the system's performance against a commercial optical tracking system.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a structured light (SL) scanning principle for facial surface reconstruction and tracking.
• Integrated the SL system into a Siemens High Resolution Research Tomograph (HRRT) PET scanner.
• Compared the SL system's accuracy to the Polaris Vicra system using a head phantom with known motions.

Main Results:

• The SL system demonstrated accuracy comparable to the commercial Polaris Vicra system.
• Root mean square (rms) errors were 0.09 degrees for axial rotations and 0.24 mm for translations.
• A near-infrared LED version of the projector minimized patient discomfort.

Conclusions:

• The developed markerless SL system is a viable and accurate solution for head motion tracking in 3D brain imaging.
• Eliminating the need for patient markers simplifies clinical procedures and reduces uncertainties.
• The system shows promise for clinical applications, especially within confined scanner geometries.